Go Take a Hike! Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library

Upcoming Event at the Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public LibraryGo Take a Hike! – June 12 beginning at 6:30 pm

Lake George, NY—Hiking is more popular than ever. If you are curious about how to get started hiking, want to learn more about hiking, or if you are hiking your way through the Adirondack 46 High Peaks, join other enthusiasts at the Clifton Park–Halfmoon Library for an informative evening. Topics covered will include what to bring, safety, family fun, hiking destinations, trail habits and practices, and the ADK Fire Tower Challenge. Registration for this event is requested. Please register online at www.cphlibrary.org, in person, or by calling the Library at 518-371-8622. The Library will debut its loanable backpack collection at this program. Loanable backpacks have been filled with hiking books, maps, a flashlight, first aid kit, and more.

This program is presented by Jim Schneider, co-editor of the book, Views From On High: Fire Tower Trails in the Adirondacks and Catskills, now in its second edition. This guide enables hikers, history buffs, and others fond of Adirondack and Catskill trails to visit and learn about 30 historic fire towers. Detailed trail descriptions are accompanied by numerous photographs and maps as well as an essay about these structures written by historic preservationist Wesley H. Haynes.

A complementary activity to Views since the guide’s inception, the ADK Fire Tower Challenge requires hikers to ascend and document at least 23 of 30 fire tower summits found in the Adirondacks and Catskills. There is a patch for those who complete the challenge.

On June 12, the Library will introduce its own, less vigorous hiking challenge. The goal of the Library Challenge is to have families hike a fire tower summit and email a picture or tag the Library (#cphlibrary) in your social media posts. Photos can be emailed to cphreference@sals.edu. Families can hike more than one, of course, or try to complete the ADK Challenge. The Library will collect and print out all family pictures and build a photo tower. Each time a family sends in a new picture, they will be entered into a drawing for a grand prize. The prize will be awarded on August 31st.

Staff librarian and ADK member Jim Schneider is also an experienced hiker. A Winter 46er and

Northeast 115er, he has been an active ADK volunteer for more than 30 years, including service as a

The Clifton Park–Halfmoon Public Library, located in southern Saratoga County, provides materials, programs, and services to the residents of Clifton Park and Halfmoon. The Library at 475 Moe Road in Clifton Park is open seven days a week and can be reached by phone at 518-371-8622 and online at www.cphlibrary.org.

ADK (Adirondack Mountain Club) is the only nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and advocating for New York State’s wild lands and waters while also teaching people how to enjoy natural places responsibly. ADK publishes twenty titles, including outdoor recreation guides and maps and armchair traveler books, and conducts extensive trails, education, conservation, and natural history programs. Profits from the sale of ADK publications help underwrite the cost of these programs. For more information, contact ADK, 814 Goggins Road, Lake George, NY, 12845, 518-668-4447; visit ADK.org, or follow ADK on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.